This magnificent English country house, which dates back over 400 years, has been graced with a long list of famous people. It is currently listed for £12.5 million (US$15.8 million).
St. Catherine’s Court is a manor on the outskirts of Bath that was originally owned by actress Jane Seymour. The Cure and Radiohead are just two of the numerous musical visitors that have graced the manor.
St. Catherine’s Court dates back at least to 1591, when the then-owner rebuilt an existing building on the site. Seymour and her then-husband, David Flynn, purchased the property in the 1980s.
The actress had spotted the stone manor house while filming television miniseries “Jamaica Inn” in 1982. “We had one day’s filming here, and by evening, David and I had fallen in love with the place,” she told Architectural Digest in 1991.
The couple renovated the house much needed, and after Seymour married film director James Keach, it was rented out as a recording studio and a movie set, according to Savills, who listed the property for sale on Friday.
The mansion served as the recording location for the Cure’s “Wild Mood Swings” album in 1994 and 1995. Robert Smith, the leader of the band, instructed an agent to find homes big enough for the band to fit in and room for all of their gear. According to Savills, Smith even spent a month living there in the summer of 1994 in order to install a recording system.
Because of the ballroom’s size and acoustics, Radiohead used it as the primary studio for the majority of the recording of their widely-recorded album “OK Computer” in 1996 and 1997. The control room was located in the nearby library.
Robbie Williams rented the house in the 2000s, and New Order produced a portion of their 2005 album “Waiting for the Sirens’ Call” there as well, according to Savills.
The listing agency stated that after Seymour sold the property in 2007, the new owners had restored the mansion and grounds to its former glory.
Mansion Global was unable to locate the seller or find out how much they paid for the house.
“St. Catherine’s Court not only represents a wonderfully idiosyncratic family home, but one that is equipped to entertain on a truly grand scale,” said Ed Sugden of Savills Country Department.
The rich history of the 11-bedroom main house is evident inside. Huge fireplaces, wood-paneled chambers, stone mullioned leaded light windows (some with stained-glass detail), coffered ceilings, old oak floors and staircases, and elaborately carved plasterwork ceilings are all present.
There are many sitting rooms, a formal dining room, a study, a music room, a wine room, a drawing room that doubles as a home theater, and three kitchens: a family kitchen, a professional kitchen, and a gardener’s kitchen.
The house stands on 14 acres of grounds, with gardens that were admired by Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most important garden designers of the 20th century. “Many are beautiful houses and gardens in the county of Somerset,” she wrote of St. Catherine’s Court in a 1906 issue of Country Life. “But there is hardly one within its own borders, or, indeed, within the length and breadth of England, whose charm of ancient beauty and of lovely, restful pleasure-ground, can rival that of this delightful place.”
The grounds include a lengthy bowling green bounded by an avenue of old yew trees; herbaceous flower beds; an apple orchard; meadows filled with wildflowers; an orangery; a tennis court; and stables. A three-bedroom cottage and a five-bedroom lodge house are also available.
“Offering the chance to own a fascinating slice of history, this creative and truly exceptional manor house provides a sense of privacy, peace and seclusion that belies its location within such easy reach of Bath,” Sugden said. “Both charming and imposing, St. Catherine’s Court and its gardens are set within a stunningly beautiful hidden valley that leaves one spellbound.”